Polyolefins are plastic materials useful for making a wide variety of valued products due to their combination of stiffness, ductility, barrier properties, temperature resistance, optical properties, availability, and low cost. One of the most valued products are plastic films. In particular, polyethylene (PE) is the one of the largest volume polymers consumed in the world. It is a versatile polymer that offers high performance relative to other polymers and alternative materials such as glass, metal or paper. Plastic films such as PE films are mostly used in packaging applications but they also find utility in the agricultural, medical and engineering fields.
PE films are manufactured in a variety of grades that are usually differentiated by the polymer density such that PE films can be designated for example, low density polyethylene (LDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE) and, high density polyethylene (HDPE) wherein each density range has a unique combination of properties making it suitable for a particular application. For example, a HDPE film may be used in packaging applications, requiring superior impact properties. HDPE is a type of PE composed primarily of long, linear hydrocarbon chains and the resultant polymer is tightly packed and crystalline. ADPE relative to other PE films is notable for its toughness, rigidity, increased tensile strength, abrasion resistance, stability and chemical resistance.
Despite the many positive attributes of HDPE, the film product is permeable to gases such as oxygen or carbon dioxide. Thus, it would be desirable to develop an HDPE film product exhibiting a combination of good mechanical properties such as a high impact or tensile strength and good barrier properties such as a low oxygen vapor transmission rate.